Richard Simmons’ Brother Shuts Down $843K Spending Accusation: ‘I Simply Did My Fiduciary Duty’
Lenny Simmons says he was protecting his late brother’s estate—here’s his side of the story
Richard Simmons’ brother Lenny is shutting down any rumors that he spent $843K of the late fitness guru’s trust without the approval of Teresa Reveles—Richard’s house manager, friend and interim co-trustee of the estate. This comes after Reveles filed a claim stating that Lenny intentionally kept her out of Richard’s finances after his death in an attempt to get her to relinquish her role as co-trustee. We have all the must-know details, including what Lenny has to say below.
What Lenny Simmons has to say about Teresa Reveles
According to various court documents, Reveles believes that Lenny—her co-trustee—spent $567K of Richard’s money trying to remove her as a co-trustee. She then claims that he spent another $277K on armed security to patrol Richard’s house while she was still living there. Reveles says both of these purchases were made without her consent.
“Teresa’s attorney has filed petition after petition with the courts. We are obligated to provide answers to these court documents, which is costing the estate a monumental amount of legal fees,” Lenny told PEOPLE Magazine. “I have requested that a neutral fiduciary (3rd party) be appointed by the court in cases where Teresa and I disagree on the administration of the estate to reduce legal fees.”
Lenny then went on to describe exactly where the late fitness guru’s money went, saying, “We do have 24-hour armed security because of several incidences of squatters attempting to establish residency in Richard’s home, as well as perpetrators jumping the fence in the middle of the night to gain access. There was even a locksmith that showed up three weeks after Dicky [Richard Simmons] passed to change the locks because ‘We were hired because this guy said he inherited the house from Richard!’ Security is a necessary expense until the home is sold.”
“The reason that January monthly fees for December invoices were paid without Teresa’s approval (appointed Interim co-trustee in December), was because she held onto all invoices for over five to seven different vendors for over a week without any response whatsoever,” he continued. “Requests to her estate attorney to approve went unanswered. These vendors had already provided services last month and required payment. I simply did my fiduciary duty as Trustee and paid the invoices so as not to expose the estate to liability.”
Lenny is married and was the first person to break the news that Richard’s cause of death was due to natural causes.
Teresa Reveles’ history with the Simmons family
Reveles was Richard’s house manager and friend for over 35 years and during that time, she and the fitness legend grew quite close.
“Teresa Reveles has been with me for 30 years. It’s almost like we’re a married couple,” Richard said in 2016. “No one should be worried about me. The people that surround me are wonderful people who take great care of me.”
Following Richard’s death in July 2024, Reveles spoke very openly and honestly about their relationship, saying, “He wanted to die first; he went first. And you know what? I’m very happy because Richard was really, very happy. He died very happy.”
“He loved me before I loved him. He gave me beautiful jewelry. Every time he gave me something, in the early years, I was thinking, ‘He doesn’t know me! Why did he do this? Why did he do that?”
Reveles was named as co-trustee to Richard’s estate after his death, causing the Simmons family to freak out. She didn’t care, though, and even claimed that they “had not seen each other in person for more than six years prior to Richard’s death.”
The family has since denied these claims and said that “Richard’s message was always one of joy and positivity. He would be heartbroken to learn of Teresa’s greed and insulted that she would diminish their three decades of supposed friendship in such a public way.”
In September 2024, Reveles was reportedly still living in Richard’s mansion, but it is unclear if she is still there.
The legal battle between Lenny Simmons and Teresa Reveles continues, with no clear resolution in sight. Stay tuned for updates.
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